Netflix is transforming the French film “Les Émotifs Anonymes” into a Japanese series with a Korean production team.
This is rather unexpected news. Netflix’s latest original project is a Japanese series adaptation of the French film Les Émotifs anonymous by Jean-Pierre Améris which accumulated 1,159,000 admissions in France in 2011.
The project, whose working title is Romantics Anonymous, according to Netflix, will feature talent from Japan and Korea, two of the main countries at the heart of Netflix’s strategy in Asia. Shun Oguri (Godzilla vs. Kong), Hyo-ju Han (The Dark Powers), Yuri Nakamura (Like Father, Like Son) and Jin Akanishi (47 Ronin) have been cast in the series. Sho Tsukikawa, director of the live action series Yu Yu Hakusho, is attached to direct.
Yong Film, the Korean producer behind Believer 2, The Call, 20th Century Girl and My Name is Loh Kiwan, developed this project into its first Japanese series.
Beautiful people behind the camera
Lee Ha-jun (art director of Parasite) will lead the production design, including the set design of the central chocolate shop. Yang Jin-mo (head editor of Parasite) will be the editor and Dalpalan will handle the music. Production began in anticipation of a 2025 broadcast, with Yong Film’s Lim Seung-young as showrunner.
The story begins with a chance meeting between a man and a woman, which is explained by their mutual love of chocolate. However, both live with their own anxiety disorders: the man cannot physically touch others, while the woman cannot make eye contact.
Netflix First visual of the series
The story
Oguri plays Sosuke Fujiwara, the son of a major confectionery magnate whose germophobia complicates his new job at the popular chocolate shop Le Sauveur. Han plays the role of a gifted chocolatier, Hana Lee, who hides her identity from the members of The Savior except the owner and struggles with her own fears of social interactions.
Nakamura stars as a renowned psychologist and author who not only serves as Sosuke’s doctor, but also becomes Hana’s advisor, despite her own problems with alcoholism and romantic relationships. Akanishi plays Sousuke’s longtime friend, whom Hana secretly harbors feelings for.
The Netflix strategy
This news follows the second release of Netflix viewing data, which highlighted the world’s continued interest in Japanese and Korean content. Programs from these two countries represent 24% of the 100 most watched series and shows in the world in terms of viewing hours.
In April 2023, Netflix executives committed to spending $2.5 billion to produce Korean content over the next four years, and the latest figures show why they took this stance. Squid Game Season 2, scheduled to launch later this year, is arguably the biggest release of the year for the service.